Hydrangea plant named &#39;RENHY&#39;

ABSTRACT

A new cultivar of  Hydrangea, Hydrangea paniculata  ‘RENHY’, characterized by its large panicles of sterile flowers that emerge white and change to pink and finally to a red with maturity with the red coloration lasting about 3 to 4 weeks, its continuous flush of new flowering stems that give an overall multicolored effect in late summer to early fall, and its plant habit that changes from erect in early summer to cascading as the season progresses.

GENUS/SPECIES

Hydrangea paniculata

VARIETAL DENOMINATION

‘RENHY’

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Hydrangea paniculata and will be referred to hereafter by its cultivar name, ‘RENHY’. ‘RENHY’ represents a new deciduous shrub grown for landscape use.

The new Hydrangea resulted from a controlled breeding program that commenced in 1987 in Gorron, France with the objective of obtaining a selection of Hydrangea paniculata that blooms early in the season with red, sterile flowers. The inventors started the breeding program by self pollinating Hydrangea paniculata ‘Unique’ (not patented) and ‘RENHY’ was selected as a whole plant mutation in Gorron, France in 2002. The parents of ‘RENHY’ were unnamed proprietary seedlings that arose after seven series of crosses.

Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar was first accomplished by softwood cuttings in May of 2003 by the inventors in Gorron, France. The characteristics of this cultivar have been determined to be stable and are reproduced true to type in successive generations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and represent the characteristics of the new cultivar as observed for 5 years. These attributes in combination distinguish in ‘RENHY’ from other varieties of Hydrangea known to the inventor.

-   -   1. ‘RENHY’ blooms with large panicles of flowers that emerge         white in mid summer, changing to pink after about 2 weeks and         subsequently change to red or burgundy (depending on night         temperature). The red coloration is retained for 3 to 4 weeks         before turning brown.     -   2. ‘RENHY’ blooms on new growth and new inflorescences appear in         late summer; the changing coloration at different stages of         flower development provides for various color stages to exist         simultaneously and imparts a multicolored effect in late summer.     -   3. All flowers of ‘RENHY’ have been observed to be sterile.     -   4. The habit of ‘RENHY’ is erect early in the season and becomes         supple and cascading later in the season under the weight of the         mature flowers.     -   5. ‘RENHY’ blooms from mid July to mid October in France.     -   6. ‘RENHY’ is cold hardy to U.S.D.A. Zone 4 and blooms are frost         tolerant.         Comparison to other Hydrangea paniculata cultivars:         ‘Unique’, the parent of the parent lines of ‘RENHY’, is similar         in having large white flowers, however the flowers turn light         pink in late summer rather than red, some of the flowers are         fertile, and the plant habit is very erect. ‘RENHY’ can also be         compared to ‘Grandiflora’ (not patented) and ‘Pinky Winky’ (not         patented). ‘Grandiflora’ also has large white flowers, however         they are all fertile flowers and the flowers are pink to red for         only a short period time. ‘Pinky Winky’ also has white flowers         that are pink and red for only a short period of time and has a         habit that is less erect than ‘RENHY’.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The drawings presented are digital photographs taken of plants 5 years in age in Gorron, France.

FIG. 1 is a side view of ‘RENHY’ in early fall and shows the multicolored effect of the inflorescences and the deep red coloration of mature flowers.

FIG. 2 is a side view of ‘RENHY’ and presents the color of the inflorescences in late summer while

FIG. 3 depicts the color of the inflorescences in mid summer during the first flush of bloom.

A close-up view of an inflorescence in late summer is depicted in FIG. 4.

The colors in the photographs are as close as possible with the photographic and printing technology utilized. The color values cited in the detailed botanical description accurately describe the colors of the new Hydrangea.

BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION OF THE PLANT

The following is a detailed description of the new cultivar as observed on plants grown outdoors in a trial garden for 5 years in Gorron, France and of plants two years in age as grown under greenhouse conditions in St. Paul, Minn. Phenotypic differences may be observed with variations in environmental, climatic, and cultural conditions. The color determination is in accordance with the 2001 R.H.S. Colour Chart of The Royal Horticultural Society, London, England, except where general color terms of ordinary dictionary significance are used.

-   Botanical classification: ‘RENHY’ is a cultivar of Hydrangea     paniculata. -   General description:     -   -   Blooming period.—From mid July to mid October in France.         -   Plant habit.—Erect through mid summer, becoming supple and             cascading in late summer through fall.         -   Height and spread.—Reaches about 2.5 m in height and 1.5 m             width.         -   Cold hardiness.—U.S.D.A. Zone 4.         -   Culture.—Grows best in moist but well-drained, humus-rich             soil in full sun to partial shade.         -   Diseases and pests.—No susceptibility or resistance to             diseases or pests has been observed.         -   Root description.—Fibrous. -   Growth and propagation:     -   -   Propagation.—Softwood stem cuttings.         -   Root initiation.—About 2 weeks in summer under greenhouse             conditions without supplemental lighting and about 3 weeks             in winter with bottom heat in France.         -   Time required to produce a salable crop.—A plug of a rooted             cutting finishes in a P9 container grown outdoors in about 5             to 6 months. -   Stem description:     -   -   Shape shape.—Round, solid.         -   Stem color.—New wood 178A, mature wood 166A, old wood             (dormant); 199B.         -   Stem diameter.—Average of 5 mm on average.         -   Stem surface.—Pubescent when young becoming glabrous.         -   Internode length.—Average of 5 cm.         -   Branching.—A single dormant stem will produce an average of             5 primary branches. Subsequent branching is determined by             pinching; 2 stems develop per pinched node. -   Foliage description:     -   -   Leaf shape.—Elliptic.         -   Leaf division.—Simple.         -   Leaf base.—Cuneate.         -   Leaf apex.—Primarily acuminate.         -   Leaf venation.—Pinnate, recessed, color 149C on upper             surface and 144D on lower surface.         -   Leaf margins.—Serrated.         -   Leaf attachment.—Petiolate.         -   Leaf arrangement.—Opposite.         -   Leaf surface.—Glabrous on upper and lower surface.         -   Leaf color.—Newly formed leaves upper surface; 137C, newly             formed leaves lower surface; 138B, mature leaves upper             surface; 137A to 139A, mature leaves lower surface; 138A.         -   Petioles.—Average of 2 cm in length and 4 mm in width,             sulcate in shape, stipules absent, 178A in color. -   Flower description:     -   -   Inflorescence type.—Broadly pyramidal panicles of sterile             flowers.         -   Lastingness of inflorescence.—Persistent but color is             retained for 4 to 6 weeks before browning.         -   Inflorescence size.—Average of 12 cm in diameter and 17 cm             in length.         -   Inflorescence number.—One per stem, new shoots develop             throughout the summer.         -   Flower number.—Numerous, approximately 200 per             inflorescence.         -   Fragrance.—None.         -   Flower buds.—Up to 6 mm in length and 4 mm in width prior to             opening, color is 145B changing to 145C prior to opening.         -   Peduncles.—Average of 4 cm in length and 4.5 mm in width,             178A in color.         -   Bracts.—Not observed.         -   Pedicels.—8 to 12 mm in length and 1 mm in width, color is             145D flushed with 62C at peak bloom.         -   Flower size.—Average of 2.2 cm in diameter and 1 cm in             depth.         -   Sepals.—4, orbicular, aposepalous, partially overlapping,             rounded apex, cuneate base, entire margin, average of 1 cm             in length and 1 cm in width, glabrous on both surfaces,             color upper and lower surface; 155A when opening with some             flushed with 62C to 62D, changes to 62A to 62B mottled with             155A, becoming mottled as they further mature with 64A to             64B, and at final maturity become mottled with 53A, all of             the above colors can exist in a mottled or blended pattern             at maturity, dry and fade to about 161B.         -   Center (eye) size.—2 mm in diameter, color is 155A when             flowers first open changing 160A at maturity.         -   Reproductive organs.—None, only sterile flowers present. 

1. A new and distinct cultivar of Hydrangea plant named ‘RENHY’ as herein illustrated and described. 